Victim Warns Public To Beware Of Power Bill Scammers

[webfact]

 

A WOMAN living in Bueng Kan province who lost over 30,000 baht in an electricity bill scam issued a warning for others to be careful and not fall for such tricks, TV Channel 7 said Friday (Sep. 29).

 

Ms. Orapin (surname withheld), 30, said on Sep. 22 a power bill from the Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA) arrived at her mother’s house. There was a QR code at the lower right corner that upon scanning got her to chat with a scammer pretending to be an official via Line app.

 

This person asked whether a lower rate had not been billed to anyone in her neighbourhood because PEA is now steadily offering it to users.

 

by TNR Staff

TOP: A representative image of paying a power bill. Photo: Matichon

 

Full story: THAI NEWSROOM 2023-09-30

 

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[Thaddee]

Poorest reporting ever ! Did this writer ever hear about the 5 Ws ? Who, what, when, where, why... I think that in this case, AI would have done better.

[Gottfrid]

32 minutes ago, Thaddee said:

Poorest reporting ever ! Did this writer ever hear about the 5 Ws ? Who, what, when, where, why... I think that in this case, AI would have done better.

Have you tried to click the link in the OP? https://thainewsroom.com/2023/09/29/victim-warns-public-to-beware-of-power-bill-scammers/

[JoePai]

1 hour ago, Gottfrid said:

Have you tried to click the link in the OP? https://thainewsroom.com/2023/09/29/victim-warns-public-to-beware-of-power-bill-scammers/

????

[BusyB]

''Upon transferring 7,200 baht from a Kasikorn Bank account to one of her two Krungthai Bank accounts, with the total in the two accounts being 23,000 baht, and giving the fake official the six-digit pass code for both of them ...''

 

'Nuff said.

[AhFarangJa]

On 9/30/2023 at 3:09 PM, BusyB said:

''Upon transferring 7,200 baht from a Kasikorn Bank account to one of her two Krungthai Bank accounts, with the total in the two accounts being 23,000 baht, and giving the fake official the six-digit pass code for both of them ...''

 

'Nuff said.

Dumber than a bucket of frogs.

[transam]

On 9/30/2023 at 6:12 AM, Thaddee said:

Poorest reporting ever ! Did this writer ever hear about the 5 Ws ? Who, what, when, where, why... I think that in this case, AI would have done better.

Oh, dear...................

[connda]

On 9/30/2023 at 4:32 AM, webfact said:

Ms. Orapin (surname withheld), 30, said on Sep. 22 a power bill from the Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA) arrived at her mother’s house. There was a QR code at the lower right corner that upon scanning got her to chat with a scammer pretending to be an official via Line app.

Hence, why avoid online, non-cash payment like the bloody plague.  And will continue to use cash for as long as possible. 
Also - even if you buy this "convenience' garbage, I'd suggest making the trip down to PEA and pay in person even if you are scanning the QR code in their office. 

Android (and iOS) and these online payment systems are simply too easy to hack and use to scam fools out of their money.

Every month we go down to PEA in the Amphur and pay the bill in cash.  We've no worries about being conned out of 30,000 THB. 

[Liverpool Lou]

On 9/30/2023 at 6:12 AM, Thaddee said:

Poorest reporting ever ! Did this writer ever hear about the 5 Ws ? Who, what, when, where, why... I think that in this case, AI would have done better.

Poorest reading ever!  Did you ever hear about reading the full story?

[Liverpool Lou]

39 minutes ago, connda said:

Hence, why avoid online, non-cash payment like the bloody plague.  And will continue to use cash for as long as possible. 

Why?  Are you prone to giving out your banking app passcodes to anyone who asks so that your accounts can be emptied?

[KannikaP]

1 hour ago, connda said:

Hence, why avoid online, non-cash payment like the bloody plague.  And will continue to use cash for as long as possible. 
Also - even if you buy this "convenience' garbage, I'd suggest making the trip down to PEA and pay in person even if you are scanning the QR code in their office. 

Android (and iOS) and these online payment systems are simply too easy to hack and use to scam fools out of their money.

Every month we go down to PEA in the Amphur and pay the bill in cash.  We've no worries about being conned out of 30,000 THB. 

Paid mine this morning via PEA/Bkk Bank app. Nobody scammed me out of anything.

[JensenZ]

On 9/30/2023 at 6:45 AM, Gottfrid said:

Have you tried to click the link in the OP? https://thainewsroom.com/2023/09/29/victim-warns-public-to-beware-of-power-bill-scammers/

This lady has 3 bank accounts and gave her PIN # to a stranger? You'd think she'd know better.

[Moonlover]

2 hours ago, connda said:

Hence, why avoid online, non-cash payment like the bloody plague.  And will continue to use cash for as long as possible. 
Also - even if you buy this "convenience' garbage, I'd suggest making the trip down to PEA and pay in person even if you are scanning the QR code in their office. 

Android (and iOS) and these online payment systems are simply too easy to hack and use to scam fools out of their money.

Every month we go down to PEA in the Amphur and pay the bill in cash.  We've no worries about being conned out of 30,000 THB. had a problem on

I've been paying my PEA and True internet bills on line for years. I've never had a problem and with the mobile apps it's easy and very secure.

 

Oh and very convenient too, given that we live 20kms out of town.

 

What this tale indicates is not that there are any flaws in on line payment systems, is just confirms the well known adage that there's a mug borne every day.

Edited October 1, 2023 by Moonlover

[Moonlover]

On 9/30/2023 at 6:12 AM, Thaddee said:

Poorest reporting ever ! Did this writer ever hear about the 5 Ws ? Who, what, when, where, why... I think that in this case, AI would have done better.

I understood it perfectly. What's your problem?

[Gottfrid]

1 hour ago, JensenZ said:

This lady has 3 bank accounts and gave her PIN # to a stranger? You'd think she'd know better.

What has that to do with my post?

[brianthainess]

Direct debit is so Cool man.

[connda]

12 hours ago, Moonlover said:

I've never had a problem and with the mobile apps it's easy and very secure.

Android:  Safe and Effective.

Yeah - right.  Most people are lulled out of sheer ignorance of their operating systems.  The the sheer number of Zero-Day Vulnerabilities is simply staggering, the most recent Android Zero-Day Vulnerability was just patched in September.

Android is not "very secure."  It is hammered on my hackers to find and exploit vulnerabilities.  And once exploited?  You and a few hundred million others are fully open to zero-day attacks.  Hackers go after the most popular and least secure operating systems.  And Android fits the bill.  Along with that even Google Play for all its hype about filtering out programs that are hacks miss a substantial number.

So ok, you think you bank app is safe.  You download a "Safe" app for Google Play.  The app itself is a hack or exploits a vulnerability, then suddenly you bank app is no longer 'secure' and good-bye money.  Or Android itself is wide open to a Zero-Day attack which is exploited. 

Here's the responses I'll no doubt see:    Laugh until you're hacked.  Then it will be ????

 

[Moonlover]

4 hours ago, connda said:

Android:  Safe and Effective.

Yeah - right.  Most people are lulled out of sheer ignorance of their operating systems.  The the sheer number of Zero-Day Vulnerabilities is simply staggering, the most recent Android Zero-Day Vulnerability was just patched in September.

Android is not "very secure."  It is hammered on my hackers to find and exploit vulnerabilities.  And once exploited?  You and a few hundred million others are fully open to zero-day attacks.  Hackers go after the most popular and least secure operating systems.  And Android fits the bill.  Along with that even Google Play for all its hype about filtering out programs that are hacks miss a substantial number.

So ok, you think you bank app is safe.  You download a "Safe" app for Google Play.  The app itself is a hack or exploits a vulnerability, then suddenly you bank app is no longer 'secure' and good-bye money.  Or Android itself is wide open to a Zero-Day attack which is exploited. 

Here's the responses I'll no doubt see:    Laugh until you're hacked.  Then it will be ????

 

Every time a transaction takes place on one of my 2 accounts here, I receive an SMS or an email letting me know that it has occurred. Moreover when I pay a bill on line I quickly receive acknowledgement from the payee that the funds have been received.

 

Providing one remains vigilant and doesn't ignore these messages, an unauthorized payment should never go unnoticed. (and reported of course) It has already been demonstrated right here in Thailand that providing such payments are not the result the of account holders own foolish behaviour, (such as giving out PIN codes to complete strangers) banks will reimburse the account holder. (See this report in TBS World)

 

So whilst I will acknowledge that there's a very remote possibility of an on line scam taking place, as long as it wasn't my own ineptitude that resulted in that loss, the bank will compensate me as were the cases that I cited above in TBS World..

 

I do not live in fear of losing my money to scammers.

[Liverpool Lou]

On 10/1/2023 at 9:41 PM, brianthainess said:

Direct debit is so Cool man.

Never, ever, take financial recommendations from anyone who uses the phrase "It's so cool, man"! 

[Liverpool Lou]

On 10/2/2023 at 9:39 AM, connda said:

So ok, you think you bank app is safe. 

The bank apps in question (in the OP) were fine, no security issues at all.  The problem was that the woman thought it was fine to transfer all her money to one account on the word of a total stranger and then provide that stranger with the ability to drain the account using the passcode that she voluntarily provided.

Edited October 3, 2023 by Liverpool Lou

[jacko45k]

On 10/1/2023 at 6:00 PM, connda said:

Hence, why avoid online, non-cash payment like the bloody plague.  And will continue to use cash for as long as possible.

It is a bit scary as I have a Krungthai account and pay my PEA bill by  scanning the QR code from within the bank's App........

[Liverpool Lou]

3 hours ago, jacko45k said:

It is a bit scary as I have a Krungthai account and pay my PEA bill by  scanning the QR code from within the bank's App........

As long as you're not stupid enough to transfer all the contents of your bank account based on a ridiculous request (and clearly you're not) and then provide your PIN to access it (as happened in this case), you'll be ok.   No one has been scammed simply by paying their MEA/PEA bill.

Edited October 13, 2023 by Liverpool Lou